Should we ask the Customer ?

Doing subcontracted design project to a Customer is always a tricky business. On one hand, the Customer always knows their own field much better than a Subcontractor could ever do. On the other hand, the Subcontractor is selected and used for their expertise on the subcontractors own field.

So what should be the Subcontractors attitude to providing ideas in how to make the product ?

 For there is always a myriad of alternative ways of deciding the details and even the broader design selections. Should the subcontractor just ask for all the details on what to do ? Or should the Customer be told how things are done ?

In my mind, the correct way is : Be a proud professional, whether You are in the Subcontractor or Customer role. Do appreciate, that You have unique knowledge and competence, but so do the others involved in making the end product truly valuable. In Subcontractor role, it is not Your responsibility to understand everything related to how and where the end product will be used. But it is in Your responsibility to get a good understanding together with the Customer, and then be proactive in providing innovative design solutions that meet the real-world needs. Because it is this combination of Professionalism that really gives Subcontracting a value over doing things in-house within our Customers ! We are experts in the field of our design work and the Customer is really expert in their own business. These must be combined and it requires that the Subcontractor doesn't just wait for ready answers and doesn't just ask quistions on how the design details should be done.

The Subcontractor must give innovative ideas that are based on understanding the target of the product being developed, and being a professional in his/her own field of design.

So is this difficult, or is it so far from where we are now ?

Not really. It just requires this : In stead of asking from customer how a screw hole must be done, try to get an understangin what the hole is needed for and propose how it should be done. Maybe there really shouldn't even be a screw hole but something totally different !